Hog-holding device.



PAATEN'IED JUNE 30,` 1903.

Izzi/en for. f7.5( llelia,

Q lin um! uunnmllunlu u WQHSMS.

J. S. ALEXANDER. HUG HOLDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED rms. 17. 1903.

No MDEL.

No. rsaoee.

UNITED STATESv *PATENT Patented June 30, 1903.

OFFICE.

Hoc-HOLDING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,029, dated J' une 30, 1903.

i Application iiled February 17| 1903. Serial No. 148,792. (No model.)

To a/Z whom it may cm1/cern:

Be it known that I, JAMES Soorr ALEX- ANDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Liberty, in the county of Clay and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hog-Holding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to hog-holding devices;

strong, and durable construction and which can be manufactured at a low cost. V

With the above objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization, as hereinafter described and claimed, 'and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a hog-holding device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section, full size, of the lower end of the device. Fig. 3 is a crosssection taken on the line Ill III of Fig.'2. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the device with the clamping-chain omitted.

In the said drawings, 1 designatesa handle,

preferably in the form of a metal pipe about thirty inches in length and externally screwthreaded at its lowerend and provided near such end with an opening2, formed, prefer-` ably, by cutting a tongue 3 out of the side of the handle and bending it inward at an angle of about forty-live degrees to provide a guide, foi` a purpose hereinafter mentioned.

4t is a tubular foot-piece, preferablya casting, screwed upon the lower end of the handle and provided at its lower end with lugs 5 and a laterally-projecting arm 6 and at its opposite side with an oppositely-projecting tubular arm 7, which is slotted vertically for its full length, as at S, and is externally screw-threaded, as at 9. Engaging the threaded end of said arm is a cap 10, also diametrically slotted, as at l1, to register with the slot 0f said arm and in conjunction therewith forni a passage wherein may reciprocate toward and from the handle a chain-spreader l2, the same being of substantially U shape `inplan v-iew and of length to project above and below the tubular arm 7 and having on said projecting portions guide-flanges 13, conitiguous to the surface and parallel with the laXis of said arm, so that it may reciprocate in slot S and slot ll with but little tendency to twistand bind upon said arm.

A spiral spring l-l is arranged within arm 7 and bears at one end against the chainspreader and at its other end against the opposite wall of the casting, encircling and retained in position at such end by theinwardlyprojecting stud l5 of the casting.

lo' designates a pin or its equivalent secured to casting-arm 6 to provide an anchor for one end of the cable 17, preferably inthe form of a flexible chain, in order that it will tend jwhen adjusted to catch a hog, to provide a wide loop, as shown in Fig. 1, instead of hanging down to narrow V shape, as would be the tendency of an ordinary chain, it being understood, however, that I do not restrict myself to the use of any particular type of chain. This chain extendsup through the U-shaped or channeled spreader, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and has its upper endn extending into the handle through its opening 2 and pivotally connected or linked to the lower end of the rod 18, disposed within the4 handle and projecting beyond 'its upper end A handle 19 is secured to said rod by fmeans of a nut `2O, and said nut is preferablyformed with an eye 2l in order that a chain 22 may be readily `connected to it when desired, this chain, by

preference, having a snap-hook of any suitable type on each end, onefor the purpose of attaching the chain to theeye' and the other for engagement with said 'eye after the chain is passed around a post or other anchor (not shown) for a purpose which is hereinafter eX` plained.

Assuming now that a person desires to ring a hog, his assistant is enabled with this device, as arranged in Fig. l, to easilyslip ICO the chain-loop over the hogs snout, the

stiifness of the bicycle-chain permitting this to be done without the operator placing his ation described is accomplished Very quickly and at practically the same moment the operator through the medium of handle 19 draws the chain up through the spreader, so as to canse the chain and the lugs 5 of the casting to simultaneously embed themselves in the under side of the lower jaw and the upper side of the snout, this action, however', taking place without abrading .the hogs skin. The instant the hogs snout is thus clamped he sits back on his haunches in an endeavor to pull away and never attempts to go forward. The operator therefore simply holds the handle in the position to which he has drawn it until his companion rings the hog in the customary manner.

In the operation of clamping a'hog as described the chain-spreader under the pressure of the chain will movev inward more or less distance accordinglyas the hog is a large or a small one, the spring yielding to accommodate such movement, and in this connection it will be noted that all that is necessary in releasing the hog is to relax the tension on the chain, this relaxation being immediately followed by outward movement of the The hog offering constant resistance to the clamp immediately frees himself from the loop upon the slightest relaxation of the chain, and in so doing draws the chain downward through the spreader and the handle toits original position.

Where it is necessary for one man to ring a hog, he first secures one end of the chain, as at 22, to eye 2l and then manipulating the device as above explained catches the hog and passes the chain around a post of the pen and secures its opposite end to the loop. The hog in his endeavor to draw backward, as is his invariable tendency when caught by the snout, draws the anchoring-chain 22 taut, and thus enables the operator to release the handle and perform the ringing operation in the usual manner.

It is obvious that when a hog is clamped in the manner described the chain extends some distance upward into the handle and that when the animal is released the chain and rod 18 drop toward the bottom of the handle, the tongue 3 deflecting the chain through opening 2 instead of letting it pile up within the pipe, as it would do if a suitable deflector were not employed.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a hog-holding device which embodies the features of advantage enumerated asdesirable in the statement of invention and which may be modified in a number of particulars without departing from its spirit and scope or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A hog-holding device, comprising-a handle, a foot-piece therefor, a cable-spreader pressed yieldiugly to one side of the handle, a cable extending through the spreader in a direction substantially parallel with the handle and secured at its lower end at a point at the opposite side of the handle from the spreader, and means for drawing the cable through the spreader toward the upper or remote end of the handle.

v 2. A hog-holding device, comprising a handle, a foot-piece therefor, provided with a lug or lugs projecting from its base, a cablespreader pressed yieldiugly to one side of the handle, a cable extendingr through the spreader in a direction substantially parallel with the handle and secured at one end at a point at thefopposite side of the handle from the spreader,and means for drawing the cable through the spreader toward the remote end of the handle.

3. A hog-holding device, comprising a handle, a foot-piece secured thereto and provided with oppositely-projecting arms, one of them tubular, a cap on the outer end of the tubular arm, a chainjspreader movable on said arm toward and from the handle, a spring exerting pressure to hold said spreader away from the handle, a cable extending through the spreader and attached at one end to the non-tubular arm, and means to draw the cable through the spreader toward the remote end of the handle.

4. A hog-holding device, comprising a handle, a foot-piece therefor provided with a laterallyprojecting ve-rticallyfslotted arm, a spreader extending vertically through said slot'and slidable toward and from the handle, a spring pressing said spreader toward the outer end of said arm, a cable extending through said spreader and secured at one end IOO at a point at the opposite side of the handle handle and provided with a tubular arm atthe side corresponding to that occupied by the handle-opening, a cable-spreader pressed yieldiugly toward the outer end of said arm, a cable extending through the spreader in a direction substantially parallel with the handle and secured at one end lat a point at the opposite side of the handle from the spreader, andhavingitsoppositeend projecting through said opening into the handle, and means for drawing the cable through the spreader toward the remote end of the handle.

6. A hog-holding device, comprising a handle, having an opening near its lower end, a foot-piece on the lower end of the handle, provided with arms at opposite sides, one of them tubular and vertically slotted, a cap on the outer end of the tubular arm, a spreader adapted to slide in said slot toward and from IIC the handle, a spring pressing the spreader toward the cap, a cable extending through the spreader and attached at one end to the non-tubular arm, and its opposite end projecting into said handle-opening, and means for drawing the cable through the spreader toward the remote end of the handle.

7. A hog-holding device, comprising a handle having an opening, a tubular foot-piece on the lower end of the handle and provided with a communicating laterally-projecting tubular arm vertically slotted, a removable cap on the outer end of said arm, a spreader extending vertically through said slot and movable toward and from the handle, aspring in the tubular arm and bearing at its opposite g ends against the foot-piece and the spreader,

a cable extending through the spreader and attached at one end to the foot-piece at the opposite side of the handle from the spreader, and having its opposite end extending through said opening into the handle, a rod within the handle and attached at its lower end to the cable, and a handle at the upper end of said rod and externally of the rst-named handle.

8. A hog-holding device, comprising a handle having an opening and a tongue extending upwardly and inwardly of the handle from the lower margin of said opening, a tubular foot-piece on the lower end of the handle and provided with a communicating laterally-projecting tubular arm vertically slotted, a removable cap on the outer end of said arm, a spreader extending vertically through said slot and movable toward and from the handle, a spring in the tubular arm and bearing at its opposite ends against the foot-piece and the spreader, a cable extending through the spreader and attached at one end to the footpiece at the opposite side of the handle from the spreader and having its opposite end extending through said opening into the handle, a rod within the handle and attached at its lower end to the cable above the tongue, and a handle at the upper end of said rod and externally of the handle.

9. A hog-holding device, comprising a tubular handle having an opening near its lower end, and a tongue extending upwardly and inwardly from the lower margin of the opening, a cable-spreader at the same side of the handle as the opening but below the latter, means for holding the'spreader yieldingly to one side of the handle, a cable extending through the spreader and said opening and attached at its lower end at the opposite side of the handle from the spreader, and a rod within the handle and attached at its lower end to the other end of the cable.

10. Ahog-holding device,comprisingahan dle having an opening, a tubular foot-piece secured to the lower end of the handle and provided at its opposite sides with arms, one ot' them being tubular and vertically slotted for its full length, said foot-piece being provided also with one or more depending lugs and an internal lug in line with said tubular arm, a cap on the outer end ot' the tubular arm and provided with slots registering with the slot of said arm, a spreader, U shape in plan view, extending through the slot of said arm, a spring in the tubular arm of the footpiece and bearing at its opposite ends against the latter around its internal lug and against the inner side of the spreader, a cable extending through the spreader and said handleopening, and attached at one end to the footpiece arm opposite to the said tubular arms,

and a rod having a handle and attached toV the opposite end of the cable.

l1. In a hog-holding device, the combination of a handle, a rod suitably guided, a foot-piece at the lower end of the handle, a spreader suitably supported and held with a yielding pressure at one side of the handle, a cable extending through said spreader and att-ached at one end at the opposite side of the handle from the spreader and at its op` posite end to said rod, and an anchor-cable connected to the upper end of said rodto secure the same to a post or other anchor.

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES SCOTT ALEXANDER.

Vitnesses:

B. HAYNES, WILLIAM BLOOD, Sr. 

